Tower of London Pics Part 3 for 6th grade

This is a picture of a medieval torture device (this one was not mentioned in the book). It basically kept you from being able to move since it locked your body in one position.

This is what the device acutally looked like.

This is a beheading stump and ax. Notice the groove that is cut out of the wood where the accused would place their neck (remember that the book specifically mentioned the groove in the wood???). They don't know if these are what were used to behead Anne, Salsbury, George, etc. It certainly would have looked something like this though.

This is a picture of the "Tower Green" (mentioned in the book) located inside the walls of the palace where Anne and Salsbury were beheaded. See - it's just a little grassy area where a monument now stands. The names of all who lost their lives there are engraved on the circular glass you see the tourists walking around. Click on the picture to get a closer view.

This is a close-up picture of the monument. You can easily see Anne's name engraved on it since she was beheaded there. If you look below her name, you can see the shadow of the name of Salsbury (Countess of Salsbury). (remember that she was beheaded there as well)

And this is the site where public beheadings took place outside the tower walls. This is the little park I was telling you about. The four plaques that you see in the picture list the names of those who were beheaded there. You can see the very first name on the first plaque is "William". Remember how I told you that the first and last person to be beheaded there had the same name? I can't remember what name I told you in class, but it appears that the names were "William". Click on the picture for a closer view.

This is a replica of what "The Rack" would have looked like. Looks scary to me!!!!


I thought I would share this one with you even though it was not mentioned in the book. This was used as a torture device as well. It was another way to lock your body in one position. This one looks quite uncomfortable!!

More London pictures for 6th English

This is the type of war horse Henry VIII would have had in his military. To the right of the horse is the armor (yes, it's the littler one) his soldiers would've worn. Notice how very different it is from the armor to the left of the horse. Each king designed his own war attire, so armor varied greatly from king to king.

This is the ACTUAL battle armor of Henry VIII made specifically for him. Notice that his horse also had its own armor.

This is a closer picture of the above armor. Notice the initials he had put on his armor ("H" and "A")before he decided he was no longer interested in Anne.

The "walking stick" in the middle belonged to Henry VIII. Click on the picture to get a closer view.

And this, you lucky people, is what the bathrooms looked like. This is an ACTUAL toilet in the Tower. Yes - kings and queens (including Henry VIII, Elizabeth, Mary, Anne, Catherine) all used this toilet!! It's hard to see... they had it blocked off with a glass wall, so this was the best picture I could get. The wooden bench is what they sat on. The bench had a hole in it... You figure out the rest...

This is the view of London from the top of the London Eye. You can see the Parliament building in the bottom left corner which is also where you see Big Ben (the big clock).

Click on the video to hear Big Ben chime. (Look at that sky! You can truly see God's handiwork!)

And just for fun:

This is what happens when you fall asleep on a train and your brother and sister find your camera... Aren't they mean to me????!!!!!

And this is a picture of my sister and me being the dorky tourists that we were.

More to come soon...

Journal entry directions for 3rd, 4th and 6th graders due May 5th

You are going to L-O-V-E this one! I came up with the idea thanks to Catherine Kimble. I took her suggestion and tweaked it for English class...

Your topic is:
Compare the members in your immediate family (your mom, dad, bro(s) and sister(s) - sure, you can do pets as well) to punctuation marks that best describe them and explain your reasoning.

Ideas to consider:
A. Would your mom be quotation marks because she is always telling you what to do?
B. Would your brother/sister be an exclamation mark because he/she is always yelling at you?
C. Would your dad be a comma because although he does listen to what you say, he then continues with the point he was trying to make when you have finished making your point?

Have fun!!!!

6th Grade Tower of London pics

Below are a few pictures I took this last summer during my trip to London that I thought you might enjoy seeing since we are reading about these EXACT places in Mary, Bloody Mary right now.

A picture of one of the outer walls

Another view from a different facing outer wall. You'll see a bridge in the bottom left corner, and beneath it you will can barely see a moat. During the Middle Ages, that moat used to be filled with sewage from the town and the castle itself for two reasons: 1) Where else were they going to put the sewage? and 2) For protection. Would you want to swim through it in order to attach the Tower? After the Tower (the castle) started being known far and wide as being "stinky", the sewage was moved to another location. Wouldn't you have loved to have had that job???

Another view of the outer walls. The entire grassy area is the old moat where the sewage was. Right about where the trees are is where the living quarters were for the royal family. Above the tall stone wall in the center of the picture, you'll see four chimneys. It was about in this area that Sir Thomas More was held prisoner. (We'll read more about that later...)

Remember that at the beginning of the book, Mary was reading Utopia, a book written by her father's friend, Sir Thomas More. Turns out, they weren't very good friends after all... Are we really surprised Henry VIII wasn't a very loyal friend???

This building is where the royal family lived. It is located in the center of the grounds. This is where Henry VIII lived with his many wives. This is where Mary lived until her father forced her to move out, and this is also where Mary's half sister, Elizabeth (we haven't gotten to this in the book yet) was born. Across the path (where I was standing to take this picture) is where royalty was beheaded. A special monument stands there today. I'll post of picture of it when we read that part of the book.

I apologize that I did not take a serious picture (we were being "sad" since this it is now a cemetery), but behind my brother, sister and I is Wesminster Abbey. This is where not only Mary is buried, but this is where Henry VIII, Catherine and Anne were all crowned king or queen.

3rd Grade Personification Practice

Listen to the video, and then complete the handout that was passed out in class.

Don't forget:

1. You can replay, rewind, pause and fast-foward the video.

2. You can find personification in the words AND the pictures.

3. Personification is when HUMAN characteristics are given to UNHUMAN things.

The Best Spring Break Surprise

Nothing is better than Taco Bueno and a Snickers bar.

Except maybe diamonds!

Thanks, Phoebe.

Journal Entry Topic

Your topic for this week's journal entry is a Bible verse found in 1 Timothy 4:12 =
"Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example in speech, in life, in love and in purity."

You have several options when it comes to writing about this topic. Some include (but are not limited to):
- Explain what this verse means
- Give an example of what the verse means
- Share your opinion about this verse
- Share what it makes you think of or reminds you of
- Explain how this verse makes you feel
- Explain what this would look like, sound like and feel like if someone were to carry out this verse

**One more thing: Don't forget to write double the required amount if you skip lines in your journal...

4th Grade's Taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall Tales

How very creative you guys were!! I saw lots of fun decorations added to your characters - the shoes may have been my favorite part (cleats, penny loafers, and even leprechaun shoes were represented)! Your stories were very cute and entertaining, and your Tall Tale heroes (long paper that was decorated to look like the hero) were just as intriguing. It looks like you all had a good time!

High five to you all.

I was especially impressed with the dialect, figurative language and the hyperboles (exaggeration) that were used in your stories.

And on a side note, who knew so many around-the-house items could be used for hair?? ha ha

8:30 class

10:00 class

3rd & 4th Journal Topic due March 24

We are doing an old favorite this week: A Squiggle!!!

Here's How It Works
1. First, each student received a squiggle (doodle) in his/her journal which looked something like this:






2. Next, the student is to turn that squiggle into something (see example below):
I added on to the original squiggle to make a worm. (Isn't she cute, Grayson? ha ha)


3. The last step is to journal about what you drew. There are many directions you can go in once you get to this step. Some possibilities for my worm drawing are:
-write about a time I saw a worm
-write about a time I used a worm for fishing
-write about how I feel about worms
-do research and write facts about worms
-write about what the worm reminds me of
-write a poem about the worm
-write about what the worm reminds me of
-make up a story about a worm
-describe or explain its purpose/uses
-describe what the worm looks like
and so on...

Squiggle Rules
1. Do not spend more than five minutes on drawing your squiggle. This is a writing class; not an art class. :)
2. Add your design to the squiggle in a different color than I drew it in so I can easily tell what I drew and what YOU drew.
3. Be sure that you write the required amount: 3rd = 1/2 a page, 4th grade = 3/4 a page (if you skip lines, remember to write TWICE as much to make up for the lines you skipped over).

3rd & 4th Journal Entry Topic due March 10th

It's your turn! You are free to choose whatever topic your heart desires for your journal entry this week.

4th Grade: Example of Tall Tale Final Copy due March 10th

Okay - no laughing..... I never said I was the best artist, but you get the idea: Write your Tall Tale on the long strip of calculator paper, and then add a head, arms and feet, and add details to fit your hero's character/personality/special skill.

Words of caution
*Even though you are writing your final copy on a long piece of paper, you still need to follow all the rules you would follow if you were writing on lined notebook paper. For example, be sure you still INDENT each new paragraph.
*You may draw lines on the calculator paper to help you write in straight rows.
*You may write on the front and back of the calculator paper.
*Be careful of how big/small you write. You don't want to write as tiny as a mouse - your Tall Tale won't be very "tall". You don't want to write like a huge hippo either - you'll run out of room.
*If you run out of room and need to go to the next line in the middle of a word, be sure you split the word up at a syllable break.
*You may choose to write with pencil and then go back over it in pen or marker.
*Use materials you have around the house to decorate your hero. For example, I used:
raffia for the hair
blue brads for the eyes
orange ribbon in hair
lipstick for the lips
pink blush for her cheeks
white construction paper for head and arms
blue felt for the sleeves
brown paper and pink felt (decorated with red marker) for lollipop
orange felt for shoes
And this is just the tip of the ice burg. There are so many more craft supplies out there that are available for you to use (sequins, pipe cleaners, buttons, glitter, google eyes, fake eyelashes, fabric, yarn, wallpaper, sandpaper, foil, etc). I challenge you to use your creativity, and don't forget to HAVE FUN!

Head view

Full view:

3rd & 4th Picture Prompt for journal entry due March 3rd

3rd and 4th Graders:

Below is the picture you are to write about for your journal entry that is due Tuesday, March 3rd. You have several options when you journal about a picture: describe what you see, tell how it makes you feel or what it reminds you of, tell a story about the picture, write a poem or song about the scene, etc.

**Be sure to not only look over the picture carefully, but be sure to also read the quotation that goes along with it so you'll get a better idea of what the picture is about.

Under the Rug

Two weeks passed, and it happened again.

Have fun!! I can't wait to read what you came up with!!!

4th Grade Tall Tale Video

John Henry is one of America's tall tale heroes. Some say John drove steel in West Virginia in the 1800s. Some say he worked in the Deep South. Most agree that he was a real man. John Henry's tale may have come from the lives of real-life workers . These African-American men were born as slaves before the Civil War. They grew up to be free men working for the railroad. Like John Henry, these men helped build America's railways. They succeeded through their own strength - not through the power of machines. Over time, their work was done, and over time, John Henry became a tall tale legend.

We call stories like John's tall tales because everything in them is extra big, extra fast, and extra wild. And, the truth in these stories might be just a bit stretched. The heroes and heroines in tall tales are as tall as buildings, as strong as oxen, or as fast as lightning. They meet with wild adventures at every turn. But that's okay because they can solve just about every problem that comes their way.

Tall tales may be funny and outsized, but they describe the life that many workers and pioneers shared. The people in these stories often have jobs that real people had. And the stories were always set in familiar places.

The Tall Tale of

John Henry: The Steel Driving Man

Now you are ready to complete the John Henry worksheet that was passed out today in class.